BBC Business reporter
Getty ImagesStarbucks customers in South Korea have been asked to stop bringing “bulky items” into cafes to do their office work, after some brought printers and desktop computers.
Others had brought in partitions and more than one computer to mark their office territory.
As many people choose to work from home, cafes like Starbucks have been trying to strike the balance between being a casual coffee place and welcoming customers choosing to work there.
Starbucks said laptops, iPads, and mobile phones are still welcome but not items that “impact the shared space” and limit seating.
Starbucks’s announcement comes as the growing trend of those studying and working at cafes – cagongjok – becomes a subject of intense debate in Korean society.
Since the pandemic, as the trend towards working from home escalates, many have started using the term cagonjok in not-so-friendly terms, showing irritation at those who use the seats for hours after only buying one drink.
Some users in Korea on social media have said cagonjok are also freeloading electricity.
“If you can’t afford an office space and Starbucks is silly enough to let you run your office there for the price of their less-than-mediocre sugary caffeine beverage, go for it,” said one user on Reddit.
‘Bad manners’
Koreans on social media have been reacting to the announcement from Starbucks.
“Good job,” said one Korean user on social media. “Now that Starbucks has started, other cafes should follow suit”.
Another said that people working from cafes made him stop going to Starbucks, and that the announcement is a “measure against those who’ve crossed the line with their bad manners”.
“It feels like there are way too many people without common sense these days,” the user wrote.
A spokesperson for Starbucks said: “Starbucks Korea has updated its policy so all customers can have a pleasant and accessible store experience.
“While laptops and smaller personal devices are welcome, customers are asked to refrain from bringing desktop computers, printers, or other bulky items that may limit seating and impact the shared space”.
“Starbucks remains committed to being a welcoming third place for coffee and connection, and where community thrives in every cup, every conversation, and every visit”, Starbucks concluded, though its mild-mannered response hides the derision many feel for those seen to be hogging seats at cafes.
Starbucks’s in South Korea move echoes sentiment in cafes across the world, including in England where some coffee shops have introduced policies aimed at stopping remote workers from “hogging” tables and limiting turnover.
Additional reporting by Hosu Lee.
